"Good Girl" makes me cry

I took my Pixie to the doctor today for her 18 month vaccinations. Grandpa drove. I fed her pretzels and we laughed and chatted like old friends. Waited a long time in the office, but she was angelic the whole time, not getting bored till more than an hour into the wait. That's understandable, she had other people to listen to and watch, she likes doing that - a real sociable, observant child.

Finally, the nurse was ready and we prepped for FIVE innoculations, so every limb would be poked. How I dread these trips, the ones with her mother used to tear my heart out, though SHE never knew that (I told her when she was older). My BEEootiful little granddaughter cried as though her heart would break, great gulping sobs after the second stick. Poor baby!

Finally, we were done, and I stood with her cuddled in my arms, holding her with her blanket bunched in front of her...and she stopped crying, smiled through her tears at the nurse, clapped her little hands together, and said, "Good girl."

I burst into tears when I told Grandpa about it outside.

What a little trooper she is.

UPDATE1: SwampWoman, SwampMan, congratulations to both of you on 32 years of wedded sometimes-bliss. You have my admiration...and I'm hoping I make it that far myself! Sa-LUTE!

UPDATE2: The little blond angel is happy as a clam today, you'd never know she'd had a rather trying time yesterday afternoon! No fever, no grumpy, just not real happy with rain and storm that keep us inside most of the day. For that matter, I'm not thrilled with losing internet/tv/house phone for 5 hours either, but it COULD be worse, so I'm ok with it.

So THAT'S it!

Better than a Harvard basket-weaving degree, more prestigious than Community Thug-I-mean-Organizer, more ego-stroking than a wife with a $300,000 "job" - the icing on BarryO's cake is a Nobel Peace Prize???

Bert Prelutsky:
At a time when Iran, not to mention North Korea, is shaking a nuclear-armed fist at the world, Obama is telling Russia he’d like to dismantle our nuclear weapons. I’m afraid that, as a means of providing America with a viable national defense, his approach verges on the suicidal. On the other hand, if it’s his intention to join the likes of Kofi Annan, Yasser Arafat, Al Gore, Le Duc Tho and Jimmy Carter, as Nobel Peace Prize winners, it’s an absolutely brilliant strategy.

It does makes frightening sense, when you think about it...

Happy Ending

I am SO proud of these unsung Heroes..., from Pauline Jelenik at Townhall.com.

Military officials were widely praising the snipers for three flawless shots, which they described as remarkable, coming at night and from the stern of a ship on rolling waters.
...

The Navy released images of the scene from an unmanned drone, Scan Eagle. It showed that the snipers had positioned themselves on the fantail of the Bainbridge. The snipers fired simultaneously. One of the pirates was in the pilot house.

The SEALS arrived on the scene by parachuting from their aircraft into the sea, and they were picked up by the Bainbridge, a senior U.S. official said.

Thank you, SEALS, and crew of USS Bainbridge. You are Finest Kind.

And no, in my heart and mind, the BarryO Administration gets NO credit here. None. Zip. Zero. Zilch. Nada. If our nose-in-the-air/ head in the sand/ Ivory Tower-dwelling government had done the right thing in the FIRST place, pirate scum wouldn't feel free to terrorize the seas as they do. These animals understand one thing - Power. FIRE power. Sink their ships, confiscate their loot, and send 'em to Davy Jones Locker. I want that bumber sticker that says "So Many Pirates, So Few Yardarms."

Our Marines and Sailors have been fighting this scum since the first breath of this Nation. We CAN either wipe out it out or at the very least make it a rare thing tried by a stupid few.

Somehow I doubt BarryO believes that would be something worth fighting for. Well, I don't think he has ANYTHING on his list of Things Worth Fighting For, to tell you the truth. No standards, no patriotism, no nuthin. Suit of clothes, looking for an Emperor (gleefully and gratefully swiped from Paco). And he gets more like that stupid, ignorant, arrogant Emperor strutting his stuff in his birthday suit EVERY day he's in office. His Advisors tell him he's good, and he's good with that.

Makes me wanna puke.

So, as my Aussie friends say, GOOD ON YA, NAVY! Thanks for making this another GREAT DAY, in spite of you-know-who!

UPDATE: El Campeador covers this quite nicely, with a bit of clarification from his commenter.

Good Monday Morning!

I LOVE Mondays! Picked up my Pixie, put some gas in my BroncoII, now she's flinging Cheerios all over the dining room with unnatural glee and I hope I get everything linked and posted before she gets bored.

Before I'm even fully awake, I find David at The Empiricist mentions a book on global not-warming and un-man-made climate change even I'd like to read. The review is by Paul Sheehan at the Sydney Morning Herald.

I love the title of Sheehan's column - Beware the climate of conformity. To quote Mr. Sheehan's column: What I am about to write questions much of what I have written in this space, in numerous columns, over the past five years. Perhaps what I have written can withstand this questioning. Perhaps not. The greater question is, am I - and you - capable of questioning our own orthodoxies and intellectual habits? Let's see.

ChangerBelievers are NOTHING if not conformists, aren't they, requiring conformity - or silence - from UnBelievers and Skeptics.

A downer of a read from Caroline B. Glick at JewishWorldReview.com makes me just sick(er) at heart for my country.

Jonah Goldberg. George Will.

Back later!

Jax Air News

The Navy base has a newspaper called the Jax Air News. We've been reading it since our first set of orders here in 1985. It's a pretty decent little paper, and one of the columns is just about my favorite thing to read locally all week long. Sarah Smiley has an always-interesting and mostly humorous look at all things to do with Navy Wife and Navy Family. This week she took a serious look at that ridiculous idea of BarryO's administration that thinks medical care for veterans wounded in combat should be billed to third party insurers. Please read, even though that proposal has been tabled...for now. With this bunch, the idea won't go away, they'll simply wait for a more opportune time. You knew that, didn't you?

Sarah says:
When I was a military dependent of my active-duty Navy dad in Portsmouth, Va., I broke my leg jumping off my piano teacher’s front porch.

I was taken to Portsmouth Naval Hospital (the old hospital, where tales of health care – and especially labor and deliveries – are legendary).

On this particular day, there was a shortage of the lightweight fiberglass material used in modern medicine to stabilize broken bones. In its place, Navy doctors wrapped my leg in plaster of Paris, which is the same material used to make some walls. Unlike its sleek fiberglass counterpart, plaster of Paris casts are thick, bumpy and somewhat chalky. I left the hospital with what felt (and looked) like a 10-pound chunk of wall on my leg. “But hey, it was free,” I said laughing when I explained the situation to my high school government class.

“Your cast wasn’t free,” a boy in the back of the class said. “All of our tax dollars paid for it.”

I was a knobby kneed teenager who still cared about what her peers thought. I didn’t come up with a good comeback until the class bell had rung and I was hobbling on crutches to my locker.

Free? My health care isn’t “free,” I thought. What does that punk know about “free” anyway? The next day, I told my classmate how “expensive” my health care really is. My dad had paid for it when he was halfway across the world, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, when his first daughter was born. He paid for it when he didn’t meet me until I was seven months old. He paid for it with every missed piano recital, Christmas, and birthday.

He accumulated 11 years of sea duty by the time I was 22 years old. Our family also paid in ways most people would consider unacceptable and too “costly.” Imagine: instead of paying a monthly premium, your insurance company requires you to be at their service, at any time, in any place, even if it means that you will miss half of your child’s childhood.

Oh, and you might have to put your life on the line, too. True, my classmate and his parents had also paid in part for my health care, but then, they never had to deal with deployments either.

Read the whole thing!

OK, OK, I have a couple quiet minutes. I found these columns at JewishWorldReview.com, a bit from Paco...but let's start with something I heard about on the radio that I thought I'd share here - Exurban League tells us about Obama and the Pirates.

On the eve of Passover, we had this from Jeff Jacoby. I remember his writing a letter to his son when he was born, too. And yes, I'm kinda behind, this column is dated yesterday. My apologies for that.

George Will writes about a new book - having to do with baseball! Not stars and egos and steroids, this book is about the umpires. I think I want to read it.

Paco Enterprises offers the latest of the lost Che diaries. Brought tears to my eyes!

I'd also like to thank Lovely Daughter for spending her lunch hour with us here at Pixie Place. I'm eating your leftovers!

UPDATE! I think I need a new Category. Something along the lines of "OhfertheluvvaGod." It will cover such ridiculous crapola as this, which arrived a short while ago via James Taranto at Best of the Web Today. Instead of making you scroll to find it - and not being able to link to the link James provided, for some reason - I copy the whole little blurb, including the link in the title James gave, for your perusal:

Where Do the Pirates Stand on Card Check?
Pirates in the Indian Ocean the other day captured a U.S.-flagged freighter. Although they still hold the captain hostage, the rest of the crew quickly regained control of the ship--leading Nick Baumann of Mother Jones to file this entry in the Most Strained Political Argument of All Time contest, under the title "Another Miracle Brought to You by America's Unions":

It's important to note that like all the people involved with the safe landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River in January, the crew members of the Maersk Alabama are union members. . . . As former safety chairman of the Airline Pilots Association, Chesley Sullenberger, the hero pilot of Flight 1549, fought to make sure his colleagues got the training they needed to do what he did in January. And as I just heard on Fox News (and confirmed with the SIU [Seafarers International Union]), crew members of the Maersk Alabama received anti-piracy training from (where else?) their union.

By this logic, school shootings are an indictment of the teachers unions.

UPDATE 2! One more before I shut this down for the night. DaddyDave, who comments at Tim Blair's, now blogs on his own at The Empiricist, linked in the sidebar here. He's posted something that I heard about yesterday...Neal Boortz, I think? It's a book that posits a VERY unpopular point of view, from someone who seems to know the topic quite well. Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is A Better Way For Africa by Dambisa Moyo. Anyway, give David's blog a read, it's worthy of your time.

Good Friday

It's a beautiful Friday here at Pixie Place.

The Pixie just undid her training pants & is investigating how they work while we listen to Mickey's Clubhouse. My Chief worked a short shift & has taken his AT-weight pack to the gym to work on the stairclimber for 30 minutes. And Lovely Daughter will be here for lunch in a little while.

No politics today - just listen to this and have a wonderful rest of your day! Thanks for stopping by!

Bright Bright Sunshiny Day

According to WOKV, it's a 10 on the weather gage. I'll go along with that. Sunny, bright, bit of a breeze, and +75F. I'd prefer just a touch more humidity, but I take what I can get from the weather in Florida.

I've been listening to reports about the pirates that have an American as their hostage. I will keep the family and friends in my prayers, as well as the men and women serving in the Navy who have been called for assistance. We love 'em all, we really do.

Lovely Daughter sent a link to the article about the pirates earlier because it mentioned P-3's, the plane her daddy flew aboard as Inflight Technician for the majority of his Navy career, but I can't find that link right now.

If you hear mention of planes taking pictures or being the eyes in the sky, that's our boys & girls, it was part of our lives for a big part of the 22 years My Chief was in the Navy. P-3 crews train here in Jax, and the sound of a P-3 in the pattern is part of almost every day in this house. We were stationed with P-3 squadrons in Maine, Hawai'i, and here in Jax, plus the Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland.

I'm going to miss them.

Brrr!

Ah, Springtime in NE Florida - the sun's coming up over Ben's house, pink flowers show themselves on the redbud tree, the school bus is late (again), there's frost on the BroncoII in my front yard, and the birds are singing "It's beginning to look a lot like January!"

Hubby covered the tomatoes - when I went to bed it was +42F, I'm guessing it was colder than that when he got up at 0230.

I am going to invest my next paycheck in a decent thermometer for this place. My computer WeatherChannel thingy says it's +40F (feels like 34!), but once again, when did frost start coming down when it's 40?!? Suggestions for brand or type are welcome, but keep 'em inexpensive, my paycheck is SMALL.

In baseball news, My Padres got their first win of the season, beating the ManRam Dodgers 4-2. Hey, that means they're tied for either 2nd or last place in their division at 1-1. SF Giants are in 1st place with one win but no losses. Yeah, you can tell it's the first series of the season, can't you? This stuff changes on a moment by moment basis for months!

Go Cubs Go

A long time ago, in a little old mobile home in a trailer park not far from where I sit now, I would curl up in a beanbag chair with my baby girl in my arms and watch Ryne Sandberg and the Penguin on our black and white television. I used to tell that little brown-haired doll that she was welcome to marry Ryno if she wanted when she got older, cuz he was just about as cute as they come. The hapless Cubs won 70 games that year, with names I recognize but don't remember as playing for the Cubs. I wasn't a rabid fan, I was a new Navy Wife and mama at the beginning of a new adventure...as I said, it was a long time ago.

The Cubs are retiring Number 31, which was worn by Fergie Jenkins and Greg Maddux. I've seen Greg Maddux pitch...for the Atlanta Braves, against My Padres, in 1998 in San Diego. He wore glasses then. Never remembered then or since that he wore a Cubs uniform before 2004.

By the way, I kinda like this Baseball Hall of Fame site, and the other one that's been helpful is the Baseball Almanac. I like The Baseball Page, too, just found that one. Wow!

I'm off now, cold with possible freeze in the morning forecast, so need to cover my tomatoes before I bed down. I wish you mud puddles and dandelions!

This is why I pray

Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live. — Norman Cousins


I better warn you - this is a very disturbing column. It took me all day, going back again many times, to get all the way through.

Caroline B. Glick at JewishWorldReview.com:
On the murder of a 13 year old boy - but not really...
But as far as the right-thinking people of the Western media are concerned, Israeli Jews like Nativ, who live in Gush Etzion in Judea, are simply asking to be murdered.
...
Today, the media's view is shared by both European governments and the Obama administration. For years now the Europeans have accepted the legally unsupportable Arab claim that all Jewish presence in areas beyond the 1949 armistice lines is illegal. Since 1993, supported by the Israeli Left, the US government has gradually moved toward adopting this view. And today this view stands at the center of President Barack Obama's emerging policy toward Israel and the Palestinians.

I won't hate BarryO or those like-minded who are sick in their souls but don't know it yet. I won't hate them because it gives them too much power over me and hate like that poisons anyone it touches.

It takes a special type of person to murder a child. And it takes a special type of society to support such behavior. Palestinian society is a special society. It has become routine, indeed it has become expected that in the aftermath of successful murders of Israelis - including children - Palestinians distribute candy in public celebrations.

President BarryO is a scumsucking, perverted, disgusting excuse for a human - as are all the others who believe as he believes - and if I was going to hate anyone, it would surely be them.

Random Thoughts

No, not mine, those of Thomas Sowell. I'd like to show the whole thing here, because picking a few excerpts is NOT easy, but I want you to give my friend the Rabbi some bidniss at JewishWorldReview.com. He does an amazing job over there, and I'm grateful for everything I've learned - or unlearned - as a result of his work. Starting today, I've got a permanent link on the sidebar, there's always something good there, so check it out once in awhile and see what you think.

Back to Mr. Sowell...my favorites in his list are, in no particular order:

Barack Obama's favorable reception during his tour in Europe may be the most enthusiastic international acclaim for a democratic government leader since Neville Chamberlain returned from Munich in 1938, proclaiming "peace in our time."

...
How a man who holds the entire population of a country as his prisoners, and punishes the families of those who escape, can be admired by people who call themselves liberals is one of the many wonders of the human mind's ability to rationalize. Yet such is the case with Fidel Castro.
...
What does "economic justice" mean, except that you want something that someone else produced, without having to produce anything yourself in return?

Livin' like no one else...

Before I go sit down in front of the tv for a bit, hoping to see the Braves pull off a stunner in Philly, a bit of a thing that happened earlier today.

Me & My Chief (Retired) went to a morning meeting with some people we know. Afterwards, a group does about a 3 1/2 mile walk, down River Road a ways & back up to the meeting house. Duffy walked with them today, carrying the same amount of weight in his pack he'll have when he starts his hike on the AT. Out of the group of 6 were 3 retired Navy Chiefs, a retired Navy Reserve Officer, his wife the retired labor& delivery nurse who delivered the Pixie, and another guy...I think.

One of these gentlemen is in a recent new job (he sold cars when I first met him) selling something on a draw against commission. Not selling something might be a better term. He got married for the 3rd or 4th time a couple years back. His boss at the car lot was murdered & that job went away so he took the real estate school thing & became a licensed realtor. I think his wife did, too, but not sure. He was bagging groceries at the commissary for awhile, don't know if he still does that, he hasn't been there when I've been there, which means less than nothing. Wife drives a very nice little new(er) car (Mercedes? Beemer? Don't remember), and he has an Escalade. They bought a new house about 4 years ago in a very nice little neighborhood. None of which has a small payment, y'understand.

During the walk, this man was talking about how worried he is about all the payments he has to make that aren't getting made. On top of those other payments to be made are a few credit cards that are about maxxed out.

We probably get close to the same amount of Navy retirement, and for us that pays the mortgage, the power/water/sewer bill, the phone/cable/internet, the cell phone, the auto insurance, and part of the grocery bill. For him, I'm not sure it covers the mortgage and electric.

We decided a long time ago to live within our means, to spend less than we brought in, and, a few years ago, to NEVER use a credit card. Duffy also got us almost completely out of debt - except for my dentist - before he retired. We re-financed the house to a 15-year fixed, for much less than it was appraised. We have almost 4 months of operating costs in a money market account, in case of emergency. Our vehicles are paid for, and we're not shopping for the newest and shiniest. We have everything we need, we do everything we want, we're slowly working on our little old house, and even this hike on the Appalachian Trail is coming out of money that is NOT household money.

Duffy has a job that doesn't stress him out, doesn't pay a lot, but gives him a lot of satisfaction, is different every day, and lets him help people.

Dave Ramsey says (quoting the Bible?) that the borrower is slave to the lender. This household is more free than almost everyone at our stage of life. We lived like no one else, so we can live like no one else. Dave teaches what he does as a wealth-building tool, but we don't have to be and don't want to be wealthy (especially with the you-know-who's running the country)

We sleep very well at night, knowing we don't owe anyone anything but the mortgage. My Financial Advisors are Stephen, at our credit union, and Dave, who can be heard on radio stations around the country and online every day. It's a damn good life, and it makes me hurt for my friends who over-extended themselves so they could have pretty stuff, and are now going to have to pay the piper. There's ALWAYS a piper. Always.

UPDATE! Braves win 4-1 at Philly! Sleep well, I know I'm going to!

More from the Wild Wild West

The Great Falls Tribune is one of the papers I read online, keeping up a bit with life in northcentral Montana. Long long ago, Great Falls had the only mall between Minneapolis and Seattle, Holiday Village Shopping Center. I have very little memory of going there, though lots of folks from Havre made at least one trip every year to shop for Christmas (we stuck with Buttrey's Department Store in Havre).

Sorry, got a bit nostalgic there...back to the topic at hand:

Reading a bit today, after finally getting my weekend chores done, I find that there are some in the state legislature itching for a fight with the Feds on gun "control." Yeah, there's a surprise. Wonder how much money Ted Turner (scroll down to #5) will spend fighting THAT little brawl?

I don't like Ted. Not even a little. He was a jerk in my eyes long before he married Hanoi Jane. He might not be Little Hitler, but some of his plans sure smack of genocide.

I wonder if he voted for BarryO.

Ch Ch Ch Chia!

It has been said that imitation is the sincerest (most sincere?) form of flattery.

So, what does that make this???

Remember, makes a great Easter basket stuffer!

from Jihad Watch

Jihad Watch posts this from the AP:

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — A former Navy sailor convicted of leaking details about ship movements and the best ways to attack them was sentenced Friday to the maximum 10 years in prison.

U.S. District Judge Mark Kravitz said Hassan Abu-Jihaad, of Phoenix, betrayed his country and endangered his fellow sailors.

"I cannot really overstate the seriousness of this crime," Kravitz said. The leak "does constitute a fundamental betrayal of your country and of your oath. You endangered your colleagues, you endangered your vessel and other vessels and other sailors, and you endangered your country."

Abu-Jihaad, 33, was convicted last year of disclosing classified national defense information. Prosecutors labeled him a traitor who was trying to help foreign terrorists replicate the bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 17 American sailors.

Abu-Jihaad, an American who is formerly known as Paul Hall and whose chosen Muslim name means "father of jihad," was a signalman aboard the USS Benfold who was honorably discharged from the Navy in 2002.

He was accused of posting information to a Web site in London that openly espoused violent jihad against the U.S. The information included the makeup of his Navy battle group and a drawing of the formation the group would use to pass through the dangerous Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf in April 2001.

The ship was not attacked.

Abu-Jihaad did not speak during Friday's hearing. His attorney, Dan LaBelle, said his client maintained his innocence and appreciated the fairness of the court.

He said his client's demeanor in court has been "very remarkable."

Prosecutor William Nardini encouraged Kravitz to consider Abu-Jihaad's actions, not his demeanor in court. He said the former sailor praised the Cole bombing as an operation carried out by martyrs.

"That is a twisted view of the world," Nardini said.

Abu-Jihaad believed engaging in a fight against his own country would make him a martyr, Nardini said.

"His alliances are not with America but with the American enemies" Nardini said. "He embraced those enemies. When he did that he betrayed his oath, he betrayed his security clearance and he betrayed his country."

Kravitz said Abu-Jihaad's sentence should be a deterrent for anyone who supports terrorism....

Thankfully, this scuzbucket is an anomaly in the Navy. Most Sailors serve with honour and pride, with at least a minimum love for their country. I hope there's something that can be done to yank that "Honourable Discharge" this traitor got, but really don't know. Think I'll add it to my Santa list.

Here's the Oath my grandfather, father, brother, uncles, cousins, father-in-law and husband have all taken:

I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

My last thought before bed - I wonder if enlistments are up or down since the Ascension?

Congress Passes GIGANTIC Budget

Listening to Neal Boortz while I fix the Pixie's lunch, he announces that BarryO's budget has passed the House and the Senate, by a score of ALL Dems, NO Republicans.

I have no reason to doubt the bit of trivia Neal shared - that this budget puts us more into debt IN ONE YEAR than the debt of the other 43 Presidents COMBINED.

Dave Ramsey says the borrower is slave to the lender. We are now enslaved to our government. Your children and grandchildren, and THEIR children, are going to be slaves to Uncle Sam for a very long time. Will we also be slaves to China?

I "hope" you Democrats are proud. I am ashamed. And thoroughly disgusted.

UPDATE: As usual, Paco hits it dead center. His newest "my favorite" quote: “There are countless horrible things happening all over the country, and horrible people prospering but we must never allow them to disturb our equanimity or deflect us from our sacred duty to sabotage and annoy them whenever possible.” (Auberon Waugh)

Tea Party Time!

Tax Day Tea Party - Florida! Swampie, Andrea, you might wanna check this list.

I think I'd prefer St. Augustine or Ocala to Jax, but I'll go wherever My Chief (retired) takes me.

UPDATE: Get your shirts & hats here - so appropriate for Tea Parties OR be part of the next Revolution in one of these great designs

BASEBALL! AT LAST!

The Jacksonville Suns will play the New Orleans Zephyrs in the inaugural Dixie Classic.

This is the first year the Suns are AA for the Florida Marlins, and the Zephyrs are AAA.

The city council in Miami has passed a thing to build a new retractable-roof stadium, scheduled to open in 2012. At that time, the name will change from Florida Marlins to Miami Marlins.

Ick.

But, it's baseball, it's in Florida, their farm team is here in town, and we take what we can get in that case, don't we. I don't have to go to Miami to enjoy baseball.

By the way, the WeatherChannel forecast for tonight's game is +75F, with an 80% chance of thunderstorms. This is why Miami's getting a retractable - they get rained or lightning-ed out of games pretty often! The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville is a very pretty park, I love it - but it ain't got no roof!

MORNING UPDATE: Driving home last night from Callahan - in the worst storm I've driven in in years - I heard the game was on rain-delay after 6 1/2 innings, with the Zephyrs ahead, but I didn't catch the score (lightning static) and I can't find it yet.

MORNING UPDATE 2: Yup, Zephyrs won, 3-2. More detail, if you're interested.

From the Havre Daily News

My hometown newspaper - an afternoon paper, if I remember correctly - reports this today: There's time to submit comments and suggestions about building a visitor center at the Bear Paw Battlefield.

Did I know it wasn't called the Chief Joseph Battlefield? That's how I always referred to it...but I've been wrong about things before. Been a long time since I was there.

I do know it's one of my favorite places on the planet, and hope any visitor center is either on other land, unseen from the battlefield, or in town. Inconveniencing a few Easterners or visitors from other countries who whine about inconvenience is a small price to pay for keeping it as beautiful as it is. In my opinion.

Inconvenience...out on the Montana prairies? The closest airport is Billings or Great Falls, both 3 or more hours from Chinook, over mostly 2 lane blacktop, in good weather!

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
423 AM MDT THU APR 2 2009
.A DEVELOPING PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE
MOUNTAINS OF SOUTH CENTRAL MONTANA TONIGHT AND BRING PERIODS OF
HEAVY SNOW. THIS STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE SLOWLY ACROSS NORTHERN
WYOMING AND SOUTHEAST MONTANA FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY AND BRING
PERIODS OF PROLONG PERIODS OF SNOW.

Lovely Daughter (and Handsome Son-In-Law) you gotta read this

I don't know if it's kosher to do this, as Rachel Lucas has no clue who I am, but if I have to delete this later, I will.

For those who don't know me, I am a professional child-care provider, most recently known as "Grandma Daycare" to the blond little love of my life. This post - and comments - of Rachel Lucas' is THE BEST!

Go read it - go on, go NOW!

We're not ALL stupid, are we?

I know, I know, I've already posted two pieces of drivel (linking to SMART writing) this morning, but I read Rich Lowry's column in JWR.com, and if you don't make reading his stuff a priority (as RSMcCain and Steyn are), you might miss it.

F'r instance - "It used to be that presidents only could fire chiefs of staff and Cabinet members; now, Obama can fire any of the corporate officials who effectively work for him. It used to be that the country had clearly delineated public and private sectors; now, they are mashed together in an arrangement vastly increasing governmental power." (emphasis mine)


How can you resist a line like this - "...if politicians and bureaucrats knew how to run car companies, they'd probably be working for Toyota or Ford."

Yep, got us one impressive administration these days...(hack-cough-sputter-gag)

UPDATE: Excellent post on this topic at Are We Lumberjacks?

Buckle Up!

I don't know how many cities and towns and counties around the country have seat belt laws (have you noticed they've morphed into "safety" belts?) but I'd guess MOST of them. Some places are so Big Brother that they can stop you JUST BECAUSE the cop doesn't see you wearing one, while most places I've lived so far are only allowed to ticket for seat belts if there was another infraction or accident as the primary reason for the traffic stop.

Seat belt rules on military bases have been around much longer than the civilian world, so we made it a habit long ago that the durn thing is on before we leave the driveway. This center-conservative libertarian-leaning Constitutionalist woman doesn't AGREE with the laws, but to the best of my ability, I try to follow the Law of the Land, if for no other reason than I don' t have a lot of money to be throwing away on fines. And it IS just as if I were throwing money out the window, except if I threw it out the window, someone who REALLY NEEDS it might find it and use it for something worthwhile.

What brings this up is a friend of mine was recently ticketed for not wearing her seat belt. The fine is $99! Her income is from unemployment and odd jobs, so this hundred bucks is a HUGE chunk of her monthly pay. Even those of us with really good jobs don't need to be THROWING MONEY AWAY like this. Your Government - at every level - takes your money in enough different ways that you can't control. Don't give 'em extra just because you're lazy or your dress might wrinkle!

I DID take History...

...this makes my skin crawl:

In the name of "change," Barack Obama is following policies so old that this generation has never heard of them

Wanna know why? Here's why:

Seeking deals with our adversaries, behind the backs of our allies? France did that at Munich back in 1938. They threw Czechoslovakia to the wolves and, less than two years later, Hitler gobbled up France anyway.
...
However much Barack Obama has proclaimed his support for Israel, his first phone call as President of the United States was to Hamas, to whom he has given hundreds of millions of dollars, which can buy a lot of rockets to fire into Israel.
...
Our oldest and staunchest ally, Britain, has been downgraded by President Obama's visibly less impressive reception of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, compared to the way that previous Presidents over the past two generations have received British Prime Ministers. President Obama's sending the bust of Winston Churchill in the White House back to the British embassy at about the same time was either a rookie mistake or another snub.

You know, don't you, that in the NFL, a rookie mistake can lose a game. We have not just a rookie, we have an arrogant rookie with really dangerous friends who likes to lecture US as President.

Congratulations, America, you're even dumber than I thought.

I'm using my Noggin, and Noggin's using YOU

Much as I want her to be smart and sassy and aware of the world around her, I don't think I'd agree with my Pixie sporting a Palin/Jindal button when she goes to kindergarten. Of course, I may change my mind between now and then!

Bret Stephens in the Wall Street Journal Online:

Typically, Noggin features such fare as "Dora the Explorer," "The Backyardigans," "Blue's Clues" and the deeply enigmatic "Yo Gabba Gabba." And typically, my wife and I are grateful for these sweet-natured, violence-free, semi-educational programs, even if Noggin's claim to being "commercial-free" elides the fact that it is one big ad for all the merchandise (dolls, toys, books, DVDs, the works) that goes with the shows.

I have a feeling 'commercialism' isn't going to be the point of THIS column?

Yet there we were -- my right-leaning self, my otherwise-leaning better half, the Obama-aware-though-not-yet-politically-engagée Lara and her slightly befuddled younger brother Noah --watching the Noggin channel as it "celebrates President Barack Obama and some of his favorite things."
. . .
I've been watching Noggin on a more-or-less daily basis for four years, and I can't remember a similar clip about President Bush, his bike rides, cowboy boots and Scottish terrier.
. . .
And if you campaign as a messiah, better not drop the mask.

Good stuff.

More obamanation

George Will's column: The Supreme Court has said: "That Congress cannot delegate legislative power to the president is a principle universally recognized as vital to the integrity and maintenance of the system of government ordained by the Constitution." And the court has said that properly delegated discretion must come with "an intelligible principle" and must "clearly delineate" a policy that limits the discretion. EESA flunks that test.

via Paco, a National CEO at GM? Jeremy Anwyl, chief executive of the automotive Web site Edmunds.com, called the move "political theater" to appease an increasingly bailout-weary public.

Need a reason to avoid the malls on the weekend? "We're looking for supporters," said DeHaven of Hoover, one of the event's organizers. "We're not looking for a fight. That will come later, when we have an army."

Men and women who have never held a real job, never run a business, never met a payroll or waded through all the government regulations in order to file all the necessary, sometimes contradictory, paperwork - and often, it seems, make a habit of NOT filing their taxes - THESE are the people, led by BarryO, who has not worked an honest, productive, real job IN HIS ENTIRE ADULT LIFE...these are the folks who know how to run healthcare, education, and the auto industry.

My shattered clavicle.

Almost 18 months

One of the most fun things about being Grandma is watching MY daughter with HER daughter. I was too embarrassed to tell anyone that I was crazy in love with my little girl. It seems to be perfectly acceptable to be that way with my grandchild, but as a parent, it sends the wrong message, I guess. But I was nuts about her when she was little, and now that she's a mama herself, I'm still nuts about her.

The REALLY cool thing, as I said, though, is that she seems to be crazy in love with her little girl, too. And so is the Pixie's Daddy, AND her Grandpa, so that's just the best we could possibly hope for, isn't it?

Some recent pictures:
Watching the new Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. We LOVE the Hot Dog Song, but the beginning song ain't M-I-C-K-E-Y and I don't like it as much. Of course, she can't possibly care less right now, and by the time I can tell her about the old song, she'll think I'm terribly old-fashioned. Wait till I tell her the show was in black and white AND was on one of only 3 stations we got IF we were lucky.

She may think I've taken leave of my senses, but the other grandparents will verify and then we'll be OLD for sure.


She LOVES playing inside my truck. I don't know what the attraction is, but she demands it almost every time we're outside...and not always in the front seat, either, sometimes she climbs into her carseat and points at the driver's seat and yells 'bye-bye' at me!

And I see by the clock on the wall that I better grab something to eat and get to bed, because 6am comes early.

Thanks for stopping by!

Here, kitty kitty

When Lovely Daughter and her family moved to their own place last February, they left their two cats, Reggie and Wylie (named for Jaguars football players). They both grew quite a bit, since I tend to feed my cats at least once a day, and often more than that. Both kitties were interested in Mr. Bird, who sits in his home, in a sunny corner of the living room, but eventually got used to his presence and mostly ignored him.

Until this morning!


That's Wylie. She likes to eat birdseed, too.

Steampunk Crochet?

Or, as one commenter put it, "...Aunt Hattie is having a particuarly nasty acid trip."

This whole site makes me laugh OUT LOUD. Till-my-belly-hurts-&-tears-roll-down-my-face-&-can't-see-the-monitor laughing. Haven't woke up Handsome Hubby, but I haven't read all the comments yet!

Is Dick Cheney still in D.C?

I'd LOVE a picture of him, "posed" in proper attire.

I think Derek Hunter of Americans for Tax Reform, who's taking the pictures mentioned in this article, should put them into a coffee table book for those of us who appreciate sarcasm, irony, and just plain silliness.

Tucker Carlson is a cutie - and I've had to re-type his name FOUR times now, since I seem to have Acquired Friday Night Finger Dyslexia - but I miss Dick Cheney.

That's F.A.I.L.-- I HOPE it FAILS

From Paco Enterprises, something I should have put here sooner, but now have some time. It's no less true just because I'm a little slow:

"...Dan at Protein Wisdom neatly captures the irony of those (including many Republicans) who seem to think that we can dissociate the success of the man, Barack Obama, from his success in getting his harmful policies enacted:

“[Obama] wants to take my money and leave my children in debt and make them do mandatory voluntary service, and socialize the health care system, and weaken the military, and grow the size of government, and make it more intrusive, and take away our guns, and ghettoize religion, and force physicians and pharmacists to either do things they believe to be unethical or give up practicing as part of the socialization of medicine, and make injured military pay for their treatments, and make our children wards of the state, and destroy our economy with his cap and trade schemes, and lots of other pernicious shit, but I really wish him all success apart from all that stuff.”

Mr. Kenny

My brother and I were talking (IM, actually) last week, and he mentioned that the young people in his life make fun of him for using the number keys at the top of the letter keys instead of the 10-key on his computer keyboard. I do the same thing. We had the same typing teacher.

Mr. Kenny at Senator Gershaw High School in Bow Island, Alberta will live long in our memories. Glenn had him for 2 or 3 years, I was only there for one year, but my fingers remember even when my brain doesn't. Mr. Kenny taught typing the way Lori Borgman was taught!

"On a manual typewriter you were taught to strike the keys quickly like your fingers were hammers. The teacher stood at the front of the class yelling, "F! J! D! K!" and students hammered the keys on cue: BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!"

Thanks, Mr. Kenny!

And thanks to Mrs. Kerner, who cringed and criticised EVERY FRIDAY about banging the spoon on the edge of the pan to remove food. No Home Ec teacher I ever knew LIVED her classes so well - this was the way she ran her LIFE and you will learn it the way SHE learned it!

Good teachers. Not "educators," TEACHERS!

Remember, you vote for these people

Correct me if I'm wrong - we have American troops stationed in war zones - Mexican drug thugs are becoming increasingly bold at the border - the economy is tanking, with or without AND because of the help it gets from our wise and powerful Congress - Barney Frank and His Band of Merry Men (and I use THAT term loosely) are holding hearings on only-God-knows-what - and THIS is so important that our Elected Officials are spending their precious time on it?

We pay them far too much.

Stuff

Paco calls this kind of post an "Assortment." When I find a suitable non-Pacoism name, I'll use it, but for now, it's just stuff I read that I found interesting, amusing, sarcastic, ironic...or all of the above!

1. "It's a victory for the environment and public health; it was never an issue of religious freedom" for the county to padlock the school and outhouses on an Amish man's property. If he'd JUST pay the proper FEES and fill out the proper paperwork, this wouldn't happen, dontchaknow?

2. My home town wants 4 lanes thru town on Hwy 2, which is known as 4 for 2 in their ad campaigns, and is making some progress it seems. What I want to know is why Ken is known as Kim?

3. There'd never be anyone this side of the Mississippi floating this proposition! Law would allow concealed guns without permit

4. Also out of Helena, the legislature is evenly divided between Democrats & Republicans. Can you say " gridlock?" They have 27 days to deal with some "divisive bills."

5. Last, but certainly not least, USS Roosevelt comes home! If you've never seen a carrier group or an aviation squadron come home, you are missing one of the greatest heart-warming, heart-wrenching scenes ever. It never gets old, even when I don't know anyone aboard.

I'm a grown woman

I don't need a mommy anymore. Or a nanny (not that we even knew of such things in the small towns of Montana). Or a babysitter. I'm a grown and grown-up woman. My parents did an admirable job of letting me grow up and mature, with AND without their help.

Sure wish my government had the same faith in me that my parents did. John Stossel in JewishWorldReview.com.

Should I be surprised at the...well, I don't want to use the term too often, but...LIES BarryO and the Disciples tell anymore? Does the line "Some are more equal than others" ring a bell? Nat Hentoff, also at JWR.com.

Now, filed under More Important and More Interesting:

My Pixie got her first training pants yesterday, and knows by looking at the picture on the package what to do with them. Did you know they make those things for "children" up to 65 pounds? She's barely 22 lbs - the regular training pants for 18 month olds look like they'd fit ME, so we're sticking with disposables for now.

May not get back on here much today, I'm making up menus for the next Process Retreat. Wednesday is also my day to clean the bathroom and change the sheets, so might not be around till this evening. Go make it a wonderful day, thanks for stopping by, and remember - Never judge a day by the weather!

Pixie Pics

When she got this little thingy for her 1st birthday, Kaylee could barely put her feet on the ground.

(party pics at www.MySpace.com/kcd1955)

Like her mother with Bucky the Wonderhorse, the Pixie prefers to scoot it backward with her feet, then get off and push to go forward.




I don't have a bad day as long as I have this delightful face sitting across from me at lunch!

"Beltway grandstanding"

Thomas Sowell...

Death threats to executives at AIG...are one more sign of the utter degeneration of politics in our time.

In the VERY NEXT SENTENCE, we get An Excellent Reason for such degeneration...

Congressman Barney Frank has threatened to summon these executives before his committee and force them to reveal their home addresses— which would of course put their wives and children at the mercy of whatever kooks might want to literally take a shot at them.

More -

No one pushed harder than Congressman Barney Frank to force banks and other financial institutions to reduce their mortgage lending standards, in order to meet government-set goals for more home ownership. Those lower mortgage lending standards are at the heart of the increased riskiness of the mortgage market and of the collapse of Wall Street securities based on those risky mortgages.

I could never be a politician - I don't think it's a good thing when a name shows up more than once in a single column.

Sowell ends with this...

The real point is to pander to envy and resentment against people who make a lot of money. Envy is always referred to by its political alias, "social justice." But to put the lives of the wives and children of executives at risk for the sake of Beltway grandstanding shows how low our political saviors have sunk.

There have been times I've had a twinge of envy and been a bit jealous of someone who makes more money or has a prettier truck or newer house. Covetousness, envy, and resentment are acids that eat at and rot my soul. I quickly remind myself, however, of the Eighth Commandment, and my contentment with my place in Life returns. I don't believe CongressPersons have such filters. The motive of "social justice" is a false face on what is, quite simply, believing they are more powerful and important and deserving than G-d.

Our Founding Fathers are surely not pleased.

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. (1 Timothy 6)

Lying Liars...and the fools who believe them

P.J. O'Rourke in The Weekly Standard:
When a Democratic president goes from being wrong to being damn wrong is always an interesting moment: Bay of Pigs, Great Society, Jimmy Carter waking up on the morning after his inauguration, HillaryCare.
...
His executive order was an error. His statement at the executive order signing ceremony was a mortal error: "In recent years, when it comes to stem cell research, rather than furthering discovery, our government has forced what I believe is a false choice between sound science and moral values."
...
A false choice is no choice at all--Tweedledee/Tweedledum, Chevy Suburban/GMC Yukon XL, Joe Biden/Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. Is there really no difference "between sound science and moral values"? Webster's Third New International Dictionary states that science is, definition one, "possession of knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding."
...
Let's look at the various things science has "known" in the past 3,000 years.

Lightning is the sneeze of Thor.

The periodic table consists of Earth, Wind, and Fire and a recording of "Got To Get You into My Life."

The world is flat with signs saying "Here Be Democrats" near the edges.

You can turn lead into gold without first selling your Citibank stock at a huge loss.

We're the center of the universe and the Sun revolves around us (and shines out of Uranus, Mr. President, if I may be allowed a moment of utter sophomoricism).

I remind you here that I am Libertarian/Constitutionalist leaning in my political patterns. I KNOW some things I WISH could be paid for by my taxes CAN'T (and shouldn't) because of the Constitution and the Laws of the various States. This particular little waste of my money, however, is one I don't argue, I don't even continue in the same room, if necessary - Fetal Stem Cell Research should NOT, in my (seldom) humble opinion, be paid for with the money confiscated from Americans. Ever. Period.

Read the whole thing to find the extent of the lies President BarryO tells.

Rain (and Mark Steyn)

While I was writing the following, the short bus pulled up in front of the house - I'm just now getting back to it. Mondays are like that:

Didn't expect rain when I finally crawled out of bed this morning! Mutha Naycha finally doing her job and washing the pollen off my BroncoII - I'd decided while driving yesterday that I'd take care of that today if the weather cooperated. Didn't ASK the Mutha to do it for me, but sure am glad she did. Of course, I have laundry on the clothesline...which will just wait there for me, till it's dry, dammit...with luck, tomorrow or Wednesday. It's not important laundry, like Hubby's work clothes or my favorite jeans, after all.

I'm still not adjusted to the time change - using an alarm to make sure I wake up before 7. If this was REAL time, I have no trouble, but. . .well, you know. Stupid government wants to run everything and by golly, lots of people really like that.

UPDATE! As I was writing THAT, the short bus showed up again, and we had to spend some time watching the new Mickey Mouse with Grandpa. He had to leave before the Hot Dog Song, which is the most fun of the whole show...but only slightly ahead of "Oh, Toodles!"

Mark Steyn is, as usual, well worth reading this morning. From JewishWorldReview.com:

To his credit, the hopeychanger-in-chief has had some difficulty doing the outrage kabuki with a straight face. In the middle of his press conference the other day, he got a tickle in his throat and departed from his telepromptered script to joke: "Excuse me, I'm choked up with anger here." How the assembled hacks laughed! Why, it was almost as funny as his gag on "The Tonight Show." Referring to his 129 score at the White House bowling alley, the president cracked that "it was like the Special Olympics." Ha-ha! What a card that Obama is when he unplugs the prompter and kicks loose a little. Maybe next time he can toss in that the Dow Jones has got "Down" syndrome — geddit? Oh, come on! Don't be so uptight and politically correct!!! And besides, anyone who says the president shouldn't be doing crip jokes is a racist.

I can't imagine what would be said about George W if he'd made these same tasteless remarks...oh what am I thinking, of COURSE I can imagine the derisive comments, the slams of W's character, intelligence and wit, even calls for his resignation for being so stupid and insensitive. Ain't gonna find that here, among the well-educated journo-elitists who run the "information systems" in our world.

Steyn continues:
Any sentient being dumb enough to fall for this AIG huffin' an' a-puffin' from Barry, Barney, Doddy and the gang is a fool who deserves the vaporization of his assets that the national political class is lining up for him. As Charles Krauthammer pointed out, the $165 million in bonuses is less than 1/18,500th of the $3.1 trillion budget. The massive expansion of government the president is planning is forever, and will ensure you that end your days in what Peggy Noonan calls "post-prosperity America." More immediately, what message do you send to the world when legal contracts can be abrogated by retrospective confiscatory bills of attainder? You think that's going to get anyone investing in America again?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this the kind of move used by Benevolent Dictators such as Fidel and Chavez to solidify their power?

Here's a surprise - Steyn answers my question in his very next paragraph:

The investor class invests in jurisdictions where the rules are clear and stable. Right now, Washington is telling the planet: In our America, there are no rules. Got a legally binding contract? We'll tear it up. Refuse to surrender the dough? We'll pass a law targeted at you, yes, you, Mr. Beau Nuss, of 27 Plutocrat Gardens, Fatcatville. If you want a banana republic on steroids, this is great news. So cheer on thuggish grandstanding by incompetent legislators-for-life like Barney Frank if you wish. But, in any battle between the political class and the business class, you're only fooling yourself if you think it's in your interest for the latter to lose.

He's smart, funny...and so RIGHT! SteynOnline!

The Baaa-studs

Kait, you've got to watch this!

Kae, you KNOW this is in Floyd's DNA, don't you, I saw your link in the comments at Rachel Lucas.

Just love it.



Borrowed from and thanks to Mrs. Hill at Rachel Lucas.com

Yesterday on the Florida Trail

Hubby and friend Chuck (Chuck is the tall one). This is the UNMARKED trail head on the Big Shoals to Little Shoals section of the Florida Trail.

The section has been re-routed so there's no road-walking, but the trail head isn't marked from the highway, and the old orange blazes haven't been painted over, which tends to confuse me even more. But we've found it - twice!

And no, I don't hike with 'em. I get plenty of time on my feet during the week, so I drop them off, then drive to the trail head at the end of the section and either read, do embroidery & mending, or nap. Sometimes I go into town & eat or try to find new stuff at the Family Dollar store. Nice way to avoid housework, dontchathink?

Bridge over the Suwanee River. These guys think this is the prettiest section of the Florida Trail they've seen.

I can't argue that one.

One day, I intend to hike it with 'em, but that'll be next year, cuz the heat & bugs are coming along fast - almost Kayak Season now!

Carolyn Hax in the WaPo

I read this column every day -

While Carolyn is away, her readers give advice:

Two of the wisest women in my life have shared some advice with me that has served me in good stead. My mother told me that if it can't be fixed in five minutes, with the materials at hand, then don't mention it. So, an unzipped zipper, doughnut crumbs on your shirt, parsley in your teeth -- all fair game to bring to someone's attention. Height, weight, stain on clothing, size of nose -- off limits.

The second piece of advice was given to me by a dear friend, about how to tell if one is gossiping or not. If I'm not part of the problem and/or I'm not part of the solution, then there is no need for me to discuss it with anyone. These two guidelines have been invaluable to me and I've taught them to my kids from the time they could comprehend them.

Shelly in Oregon

Sunday Sunday Sunday!

I'm a bit peeved this morning. Slept in till after 6:30! Got up shortly after 7 to see about fixing breakfast for Hubby before deciding whether to go meet some friends or not. He has a meeting at work this morning (got a whole 27 cent raise this week!), so no breakfast. I hadn't decided yet if I'd go anyway, color my hair, mop floors, or do some other things that are more difficult when the Pixie is here.

That decision was taken completely out of my hands when he discovered the battery on his truck is dead, does the Bronco have gas, where are your keys?!?! Even though they were hanging on the key hooks, I had to stop scooping the litter box & come point them out.

We just assume it's not important for me to go anywhere...that anything I want to do really isn't a priority, and comes second to everything else.. Or third. It's been like this for a very long time, and usually I'm ok with it. Once in awhile, I lose my head & feel a bit more selfish than usual. Days when I hurt, for instance, which are becoming more common, unfortunately.

Ungrateful little bitch that I am, I think I'll go finish the dishes, put in a load of laundry, and colour my hair. I'm still not thrilled with being second fiddle, but I HAVE learned to not cut off my own nose to spite my face.

Will post a picture or 2 from yesterday when I take a break in a little while.

UPDATE: It wasn't union as earlier stated, so I changed that...and they presented him with a Company watch for going the whole year without an accident. We're so proud.

NCAA picks

I can't find a transcript, you'll just have to listen to this lovely woman yourself. She's wonderful!

Liam's mum on espn2

I'm very tired today - 2 cups of coffee after 7pm keeps me from sleeping well. Who knew? I'm up later than usual on Thursday & the place I go makes good coffee...

If I don't feel up to hanging around today, thanks for stopping by and see you tomorrow!

In touch??? It's basketball, fercryinoutloud

I start my day with Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN2, if I don't turn on Grandy&Andy.

In a blurb from an interview with ESPN's Andy Katz, President BarryO picks North Carolina to win the NCAA Championship. I got no problem with that. What got me when I heard this on the SportCenter Update was when Michael Kim said something to the effect of, "Perhaps this is proof that he's not out of touch with his constituents, blahblahblah."

Puh-leeze.

Picking NC as Champion is kinda -meh- as a measure of "in-touch-ness," in my humble opinion. Later, I'll post a link to Liam's mum's picks. She knows bupkus about American college basketball, but I just listened to her picks & they're every bit as good as President BarryO.

I didn't know ESPN was going to be still politicking for BarryO...then again, they ARE owned by one of the Big Three, aren't they.

What not to wear

President of Cameroon Paul Biya and wife Chantal

Well...what would YOU wear to meet Pope Benedict XVI if you found out he was coming to visit? Surely, the Vicar of Christ deserves more than my favorite aloha dress & flipflops...but I think I'd skip the hat. I mean, I'm no expert - I haven't been part of, much less interested in Popular Fashion since I lived in Dallas & worked at Neiman-Marcus...almost 35 years ago? But I have learned that when in doubt, Dress Down! Not shabby down, but less-is-more down. A simple, well-fitted dress in a flattering colour is always the right choice.

I just hope this hat wasn't paired with a mini-skirt.


Borrowed, via Tim Blair

Not so stupid, after all...

I read Cal Thomas' column whenever it appears at JewishWorldReview.com.

Is this a good line, or what?

When politicians get on their high horses about something, it is almost certain that a considerable amount of horse manure will get spread around.

It surprises some people I know, who believe that because I have only a "some college" education, and have been a Homemaker for a good part of my married life, I must not be smart enough to understand concepts and ideas that more lofty education brings. So when Cal writes something that I've been thinking all along (and this happens pretty often, I've found - which is why I read his stuff on a regular basis!)

Here's another line I may borrow...

For politicians to complain about misspent tax dollars is like one of those tabloid honeys lamenting the decline in family values.

Our Elected Officials believe we're ALL as stupid as my 'betters' think I am.

Read the rest here.

USA! USA! USA!

I love baseball. It was very important to me from 1997-2000, and I think the San Diego Padres helped save my sanity. We went to as many games as we could manage during that time. I even went to a couple by myself. Though I'll always be a Padres fan, I feel the need to support our home-state teams now - the Marlins and the Rays. The AA team here in Jax (Jacksonville Suns) are a farm team for the Marlins now, which makes it easier. For several years they were AA for the Dodgers, and being a Padres fan made it difficult to cheer for "them." Games are fun here. Nice ballpark, friendly people, and sometimes we get to watch the Montgomery Biscuits!

All criticism of timing and possible injury aside (I'm a fan of BASEBALL, not the business of baseball), I like the World Baseball Classic, too. Especially when a player I like (even though I don't cheer for his team) does what David Wright did.

Chants of "USA! USA! USA!" rang through Dolphin Stadium as Team USA players piled on David Wright near second base.
...

Wright blooped a dramatic two-run single, capping a three-run ninth inning, that lifted Team USA to a 6-5 win over Puerto Rico in an elimination game at the World Baseball Classic.

Good stuff. Good guy. Cute, too.

Don't you just love Spring!?!?

For me, it's kind of "Aloha Wednesday"

I usually take Wednesdays 'off.' I take care of the Pixie, sometimes I cook, and I clean the bathroom on Wednesdays. But once the Pixie is gone, I change into my jammies, gather whatever goodies I want to eat, and surf the net and/or watch television (Good Eats is on Wednesdays) till I make myself go to bed. Thursdays are busy after the girlie leaves cuz I go to dinner and a meeting in Callahan. Seldom get home before 1030, and for me, that's LATE...it makes Friday almost a dead zone, but I have obligations Friday after work, so it's not considered a day 'off.'

The Pixie is standing at the screen door. Let one of the cats out. Turned and applauded and grinned, saying, "Good girl." She is SO much fun, watching her is better than any television show. Maybe another picture later.

Another BEEootiful day in store for NE Florida - sunshine, temp in the lower 70's. Hope your day is good - yeah, yeah, bad grammar - tough titty.


Thanks for stopping by!

My Mentors, Bloggers Who Inspire Me

One of the first blogs I ever read was Tim Blair, from Australia. I love his wit and way with words. His commenters used to have me laughing till I cried. One of those commenters, after Tim stopped his personal blog & began writing for the Daily Telegraph, was Paco, who began his own blog called Paco Enterprises a few months back. It's a collection of links to interesting stuff, his astute, sometimes sarcastic observations on the world at large - with special emphasis on the goings-on in the hallowed halls of D.C. - and short stories that are - to those of us who admire such things - riveting and amusing and reminiscent of Mickey Spillane and Raymond Chandler. His Che's Lost Bolivian Diaries are fantastic!

Kae, SwampWoman, and, of course, Andrea - along with others I'm not taking time to name - are in my sidebar because I read them on a regular basis. They're fun, interesting...and usually have a sarcastic tilt to them, which I LOVE. They are online friends who make this whole internettiness thing SO much fun.

I'm learning a lot from all of them. Slowly.

UPDATE: I also read Robert Stacy McCain, both his blog AND his columns in The American Spectator. I have to - they published a letter to the editor I wrote once.

Erin Go Bragh!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, y'all!

Of all the mixtures of nationalities that run through my veins, Irish is but a tiny component. My grandmother was 100% First Generation American of Norwegian descent, her husband was Scotch-Irish (yes, I know it's 'Scots' - this is how it was pronounced in my childhood world)/Welsh/English. However, I married a man with a distinctly Irish name, so "being Irish" is something we've come to enjoy in our household. Seeing as how the OTHER half of his family tree was Dutch/German (mine was German/Belgian) in lineage, I don't think they prepared a lot of Irish fare in their kitchen.

Since, for me, 'enjoyment' means cooking. I'll be making corned beef and cabbage, with carrots, onions, and new potatoes for our supper today. I like mine with horseradish. To tell you the truth, I could do without the corned beef altogether & just eat the vegetables. Duffy likes his 'plain,' and is really looking forward to it.

Thankfully, it's supposed to be cooler than the upper 80's we had yesterday, so using the oven won't give me heatstroke. Yes, I have central A/C, but I am NOT turning it on in MARCH!

Y'all go have a terrific American (or, according to my sitemetre, an equally terrific Australian or Danish) day, and thanks for stopping by!

UPDATE: Supper was a hit, probably the best I've ever made. Even the Pixie had some corned beef and potato. Sent some home with her for her mama, hope she enjoys it.

I've been wanting to add more photos here, but couldn't till I either replaced the camera cord or reminded my hubby to get me a card-reader. Well, he got me the card-reader, I learned "how to use it," and we now have a more recent picture of my Pixie.

The keyboard you see is hers, an old one she loves to play with.

This picture is probably a month old - she's prettier now, but it took me 2 hours to figger out how to get a photo from Kodak Easyshare (HA! No truth in advertising there) by browsing. Even now, I'm not sure I know how I did it. So, the most recent photo will just have to wait for another time. Thanks for stopping by!

Now what

I spent a bit of time today talking to a man who moved to Alabama after he retired from the Navy. He is at least the 5th Sailor I know who is surprised at the lack of respect in the civilian world for the Navy Way of doing things. Civilian companies are inefficient in many ways, and pretty clueless & uninterested in improving 'the bottom line' by improving efficiency & quality. With JUST the examples these men have given me, in diverse areas such as transportation safety, manufacturing, and security, plus two people I know in a tax-preparation office and a middle school, I completely understand what happened to our economy.

Efficiency and Quality are NOT important in the civilian world - workers rights are. The unions and ACLU are in charge and quality of product is NOT what they're interested in. What's important is how "you" make them feel and whether or not "you" have offended them.

I don't think we'll come out of this any time soon...MAYBE by the time my granddaughter is ready to get a job. But not counting on that.

We may not be a Nation of cowards, but we're moving fast toward being a Nation of Lazy Bums.